Country spitfire Miranda Lambert’s new-ish single “Dead Flowers” is a stunner, a slow-burn lament over a relationship that’s calcified into little more than wondering just when the good times ended. The clip for “Flowers” uses the metaphors with which Lambert describes her love’s slow decay—dead flowers, burnt-out Christmas lights, hurricane winds—very literally, although I do wonder if a large reason behind that was because of the way her blonde tresses just go insane when the wind machine (representing the aforementioned gale-force gusts) is turned on them. Clip after the jump. More »
I missed Miranda Lambert’s “Dead Flowers” when she premiered it at the ACM Awards last month; it showed up in the iTunes Store yesterday, and holy cow does it pack a punch. It’s a messy, sad song about a relationship that hung on just a little bit past its prime, with lyrics that are plainspoken, yet rich in metaphor, and Lambert’s voice sounds as clear as a bell, even as her emotions sink into a knotted, rotting mess. [YouTube via Nashville Gab] More »
The singles charts have settled into what we hope will be a momentary midsummer slumber. And that starts with the song in its fourth week at No. 1 on Billboard‘s Hot 100.
Idolator’s distaste for Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl” is well-documented, but I nonetheless have to acknowledge that this blandly titillating dance-pop smash is emerging as the nation’s song of this summer, its chart run perfectly timed for the season of moist, exposed flesh.
Perry seems likely to hold the keys to the penthouse for a few more weeks, unless Rihanna’s “Take a Bow” regains its bullet at No. 2, or Chris Brown’s gradually rising, more enjoyably summery “Forever” (up two slots to No. 4 this week) experiences a left-field surge. Otherwise, it’s a wasteland out there.
For those of us seeking good news, however, the simultaneous Top 10 entry of three cool songs on three different flagship Billboard charts–Hot 100, R&B/Hip-Hop, and Country–provide a small dose of encouragement.
Rock-writer-beloved country singer Miranda Lambert has a bunch of wines named after her songs–like Kerosene, pictured–thanks to her family, who started the Red 55 Winery in conjunction with another winemaker down in Texas. More »
After a few sleepy weeks, tomorrow’s new-release schedule looks like it has something for everyone–pop devotees can pick up the new album from “Irreplaceable” scribe Ne-Yo, indie types can check out releases from Feist and Electrelane, bopping kidz can get their hands on new material from a High School Musical alum and a live album fro the show’s touring cast, and Tori Amos devotees can see just what those five personalities of hers are blogging on about.
After the jump, we give you the lowdown on the latest albums from Ne-Yo, Dinosaur Jr, Corbin Bleu, and Miranda Lambert, as well as the Spider-Man 3 soundtrack.
It may not have made a huge cross-over from the country charts, but Miranda Lambert’s “Kerosene” was one of our favorite songs of 2005, a “screw ’em all” anthem with a great chorus and a beau-busting video that could have taught Carrie Underwood a thing or two. More »
